English Language Help for English Language Learners

Christchurch Earthquake Vocabulary

The following ESL Vocabulary list focuses on words used in the New Zealand media relating to the Christchurch Earthquake that occurred on 22 February 2011. It offers a selection of words relating to disasters and emergencies, although the focus is on earthquakes. Information and links about the Christchurch Earthquake can be found at:

The References section of the Wikipedia articles contain links to many online news stories, and the language links may provide some basic information translated into other languages. Note: Some definitions are taken from Wiktionary.org. Standard English Wiktionary often has translations to many other languages.

accounted for

Having been taken into account. Known. The location and condition of a person or object is known. People who are accounted for during an emergency or disaster are generally alive, with their location and condition known. See also unaccounted for.

A New Zealand city with the second highest number of people living there. It is located on the east coast of the South Island, within the province of Canterbury. The Māori name for Christchurch is Ōtautahi, which means “the place of Tautahi”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christchurch

Civil Defence

The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management is responsible for planning and preparedness for large scale disasters and emergencies.

A disaster is a serious problem. An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent change to the natural environment. Simple English Links:

The line formed by the intersection of the plane of a fault with the surface of the Earth. A fault is a fracture, or break, in the Earth’s crust. This is where sections of rock move past each other. Simple English Links:

In a critical condition. If someone is fighting for their life it means they have had a serious injury or illness which may kill them. Even with medical attention there is a high chance that they will die. Literally it means that if you lose the fight, you will die.

gastro illnesses

A gastro-intestinal illness is an illness of the stomach, such as food poisoning or from drinking contaminated water.

A very important concern. Something that needs to be a primary focus of attention or action.

Example: “Water is a key concern.”

liquefaction

In geology, liquefaction refers to the process by which saturated, unconsolidated sediments are transformed into a substance that acts like a liquid. Earthquakes can cause liquefaction where loosely packed, water-logged sediments come loose from the intense shaking of the earthquake.

The Blitz was the intense bombing of England and London by German warplanes during World War II. Comparing something with the Blitz is to compare a disaster zone with a warzone. Blitz comes from the German words Blitzkrieg, meaning “lighting war”.

Example: “Phil Goff has described the scene in Christchurch as like the London blitz.”

A miracle is an amazing thing that happened that seemed very unlikely to happen. In the case of disasters this usually refers to finding people alive after a long period of time, or in a situation you wouldn’t have expected them to survive. Simple English Links:

To prepare mentally and emotionally for a possible bad outcome, often while hoping for some good to come out of it. In disasters, preparing for the worst generally means anticipating that people will die or have already died.

press conference

A question and answer session with members of television, print and other media.

A team of people sent to a disaster area to search for people and save them from danger, often getting them out of a difficult and dangerous place (such as a collapsed building) so they can be taken to hospital.

Richter scale

The Richter magnitude scale is a scale of numbers used to tell the size of earthquakes. Charles Richter developed the Richter Scale in 1935. Simple English Links:

A shelter is a refuge, haven or other cover or protection from something. During a disaster, temporary shelter often includes tents or temporary structures than are built quickly to stay out of the wind and rain. Simple English Links:

To be caught or stuck somewhere and unable to get out. During an earthquake, people are often in collapsed buildings and unable to get out. A trap is a device for catching animals, from which they are unable to escape. Simple English Links:

Triage is the process of sorting patients so as to determine the order in which they will be treated (for example, by assigning precedence according to the urgency of illness or injury). A triage centre is a place that is establish to bring injured people to assess their injuries.

Not accounted-for. Not known. The location and condition of a person or object is unknown. People who are unaccounted for during an emergency or disaster may be alive or dead, and their location and condition is unknown. See also accounted for.